RV Stays Up 30% This Year at Glacier National Park

September continued the trend for a banner year in Glacier National Park, with a 24% increase in visitors over the same month last year.

Despite construction closures on the upper reaches of Going-to-the-Sun Road, more than 325,000 people entered the park in September, compared to 262,782 for the month last year, according to the Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.

For the first nine months of the year, nearly 2 million people entered the park, a 13.4% increase from the same period last year. The year-to-date total for 2009 is 1,955,393 visitors, compared to 1,724,862 a year ago.

It has been the park’s busiest year since 1994.

There have been significant increases in traffic at several park entrances, including jumps of 31% at Many Glacier, 14% at St. Mary and 11% at the park’s most heavily used entrance at West Glacier.

Glacier also had a notable 15% increase in overnight stays, including a 52% increase in stays at backcountry campgrounds and a 30% increase in recreational vehicle stays.